Sugar and Pisces
by Allthequirkythings
Summary: Akamine Juri was always "that nice girl". But when Juri meets L, she thinks he's a stoned criminal, and he thinks her heart's so open to love it must be hiding a mystery. And how fitting: he's a detective, after all. Things get more twisted when Kira saves the world from terrorism and Juri finds out her boyfriend Yagami Light may be the mass-murderer antichrist...? Well, crap. LxOC
1. A Strange Boy

**Hello, all ye interneters (?) who devote their time on websites dedicated to fictionalizing various fandoms. You are my people.**

**The timeline for this story changes the plot line of _Death Note_, so I hope we can all deal with the 'historical' inadequacies. Anyway, please enjoy and leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: if it's not obvious, I don't own _Death Note_, obviously, or else I would be rich, talented, and unbelievably creative. Joke's on me. **

* * *

_xxxxx_

"_I do what I can wherever I end up_

_To keep giving my good love and spreading it around_

_Because I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes_

_I've learned how to cry and I'm better for that..."__  
_

_xxxxx_

As far as strange days went, Akamine Juri had reached an all-time high.

Her morning was startlingly mediocre: waking up her morning-mess of a roommate, Sayuri, a cup of tea from the cafeteria, a walk around the campus- and all before her morning chemistry class. She shivered in the autumnal breeze, but still smiled wrapping her trench coat tighter around her body. Unlike a lot of other people, Juri wasn't a big fan of summer and winter, but of the 'transitional' seasons, where death and life mixed up confusingly.

And no, she wasn't _emo_- not everyone who painted their nails dark green were mental- but autumn...felt particularly nice. And today, as she sat down on her favorite bench, the whole sky felt like it was falling asleep.

Until she felt someone next to her.

"Uh...hello," Juri called to the stranger.

The guy blinked at her. "Hello."

Looking at him, Akamine would never consider he'd be a student at the university. He seemed to be in his early twenties, but his black hair was swept aside messily like a teenager's and the dark shadows around his eyes were like an adult's. He wore a plain, white, long-sleeved shirt, loose jeans, and- most peculiarly- no shoes. The guy was squatting, almost perched, on the edge of the bench. He didn't seem afraid of awkward silences or prolonged staring.

Unfortunately, she was.

"Izumi Juria," Juri said smoothly. It wasn't that she didn't trust sketchy-looking guys around her college campus, but everyone had been warned to withhold their real names in case of...incidents. "Nice to meet you."

"...Ryuzaki."

And it seemed the sketchy-person precaution was reciprocated, as 'Ryuzaki' didn't even bother giving her a first name. Juri was forming excuses in her mind to leave; this man made her a bit uncomfortable by the way he kept staring. But it wasn't a malicious or threatening stare- it was like this character Ryuzaki simply did not know any better.

It reminded her of Senri: the way he kept his eyes wide open and hair messy and mind curious.

Suddenly, even though this was totally inappropriate timing in inappropriate audience, Juri couldn't help but feel her eyes flood and spill over.

On the rare occasions she found herself break down in front of people, (which was _very rare- _she wasn't in a K-drama, for God's sake) said people usually tried to either comfort her or at least had the class to pretend not to notice.

But this guy- he just kept _staring._

"Sorry..." Akamine brushed her eyes. "It's just...my anniversary."

Ryuzaki peered up at the trees around them like he'd never seen such things as leaves before. "Congratulations."

"No...um..." Juri gave a dry laugh. "My brother died this day a few years ago. You..."

Here he peered at her again, and this time she let herself meet his gaze.

"...You just remind me of Senri. That's all." She dragged her legs up like Ryuzaki did, hugging her knees. It was very comforting, actually.

He placed the tip of his thumb thoughtfully on his lips. "What happened?"

She sighed, turning her head to peer at him sideways. "Heart attack." Ryuzaki stiffened, but Akamine didn't seem to notice. "Weird, huh?" she continued, eyes drifting from his face to her blue yarn boots, to the sky, still turning sweet blues into orange into sunshine. "A healthy, twelve-year-old boy collapsed so gracefully in the middle of a restaurant. We were all so confused..."

"That does sound confusing," Ryuzaki agreed, staring deep into her watery porcelain blue eyes. "Have you ever thought he might've been killed by Kira?"

It was her turn to stare. "Excuse me?"

"Kira, the terror on the news frequently now. Some call him an 'angel of death' delivering justice on criminals, while others think of him as just 'death'. His preferred manner of killing seems to be heart attacks, though it's proven that he can also manage other methods, such as-"

Before he could go into any more detail, Juri gave a half-strangled, half-affronted sound.

"My brother was _not_ a criminal," she said breathlessly. L watched curiously as she restlessly adjusted her scarf. "_You_," she suddenly pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You have to learn how to filter words. You can't just go around saying everyone's brother was murdered by Kira, because it was a _heart attack_."

Juri buried her head in her hands.

"We've wondered about that," she admitted, her voice muffled through a curtain of smooth brown hair. "My family, that is. Always separately, because it sometimes feels like...you're eating everything else up if you don't just let it stay inside and eat _you_ up." Akamine lifted her face to look at him, and her hair made a copper halo around her head. "You know what I mean?"

"Not really," he said.

"So honest," Juri laughed, which turned into a choke, which turned into sobbing.

_Strange girl_, L thought, watching as each of her breaths shook her slim body. She sure cried a lot in front of him. Not many other females did that in public.

But the strangest part of her was perhaps how she treated him. Not many others handled his intuitive, literal thinking very well. Some people thought he was oblivious to the fact that he came off a tad bit..._eccentric _(completely preposterous, he _was _a genius detective, after all), but L just never bothered to or had a desire to change that.

L cared about feelings, sure, but only when it came to his cases- human beings were just so _predictable_ when it came to emoting their actions, after all- but the real-life aspect of qualitative things like love and acceptance were so alien to him that it confused him how this girl, wearing her heart on her sleeve, would be so open to forgive to stay instead of huff off.

Juri, on the other end of the spectrum, was feeling horrible. Senri's anniversary had always been spent with her family (this was her freshman year at this university), and braving it by herself instead of with both her parents and little sister was admittedly harder than Akamine had initially anticipated. And in addition to that, here was this boy that she had just gone and raged at (a chastening was Juri's idea of raging) when he'd done nothing more than just told her what he thought was truth.

And she was feeling rather embarrassed too, because she'd known Ryuzaki for ten minutes, had already cried twice in front of him, and didn't even know his first name. Plus, she originally thought he kind of looked like a serial killer.

Juri wiped her eyes and finally looked up.

"Um...Ryuzaki-san-"

Startled, she glanced around: nothing but an empty bench and elm trees.

_Huh? He disappeared..._

Juri was just about to wonder whether to be disappointed or relieved, when she took one look at her watch and realized she had six minutes to get to class.

* * *

"I almost thought Akamine-san wasn't going to make it," Light leaned in to whisper to Juri.

"Just left a little too late," Juri smiled, smoothing down her mahogany hair in a thick braid down one shoulder. "I feel like Sayuri's sleeping habits may be rubbing off on me."

"Your roommate seems very...relaxed," Light noted.

"That's one word for it."

Light smiled his sharp smile meant to be soft, and Juri smiled back her soft one that was meant to be sincere, but she couldn't help but let her mind wander as the professor lectured about organic chemistry.

After the whole spiel with the-amazing-disappearing-Ryuzaki, Akamine had barely enough time to wash her face before hustling to class, almost late. Luckily, Light had saved her a seat near the middle- close enough that she could pay attention if needed, far enough that she could tune out of the lecture as she pleased.

Soon, instead of think about hydrocarbons, Akamine's mind drifted to Light, who was taking neat notes, like he always did; to Nakamura-sensei, flipping through a fuzzy presentation like _he _always did; to the rows and rows of people in front of her. Juri thought she spotted a familiar head of shiny black hair, but when she did a double-take, it was just Watanabe Akira snoring in the front row.

Ryuzaki was a strange person, Juri couldn't help but think. A bit rude, a bit prying. It was strange, but the way he behaved was comforting, in a way. Juri wished she had someone so candid through her grief- everyone else just pitied her and gave her bad attempts at comfort.

People said the _stupidest _things sometimes.

Akamine liked Ryuzaki because he hadn't tried so hard to show her pity and crap. He didn't try to understand because he knew he _couldn't, _which was hard to be said about the general populous.

And it was weird, but thinking about his shadowed eyes and pale skin, Juri had the urge to give him a hug.

He looked like someone who could use a hug. Or a doctor. Or a nice cuppa.

She was in deep contemplation on what Ryuzaki might be majoring in, and where he was from, and what his mother was like, and other personal questions related to stalkers, when Light was touching her elbow.

"Class is over. It was so slow today."

"Maybe for such a genius like Light Yagami," Juri smiled, quickly shaking off her thoughts. Sure enough, students were exiting already, chattering about lunch plans or complaining about the chilly weather. Nakamura-sensei was struggling to turn off the shoddy old projector, and Light helped gather her books into the bag slung over her chair.

"Do you want to eat in the dining hall for lunch or off campus?"

Bending down to retrieve her scarf, Akamine sensed a pair of eyes on her and looked up. Alarmed, she peered incredulously at Ryuzaki, standing near one of the seats in the back, who peered back. He glanced between her and Light before slouching down the stairs toward the auditorium door.

"No thanks," Light answered, not noticing her space-out. Juri watched as his hand moved automatically to the inside pocket of his jacket. "I've got to study in the library today," Yagami explained smoothly. "I'll eat with you tomorrow, though."

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

For some reason, Akamine really wished _no one_ was watching.

* * *

Outside, Juri glanced around for any hint of ruffled black hair and bare feet. Students were clearing the hall, and something told Akamine that Ryuzaki was not one to eat in such a public place as the cafeteria. So she turned left (because the closest route to the dining hall was to the right, and plus, Juri was a fan of _Doctor Who_. That was part of the reason she was so likeable).

A familiar face was exiting the building, and Akamine gave herself a silent, _yes! _before calling, "Ryuzaki-san! Excuse me, Ryuzaki-san!"

He had a strange way of standing, Akamine thought as she jogged to catch up. It wasn't even _standing_ as much as slouching- Ryuzaki easily could've been half a head taller, but instead bent and stared at her flat-on. His slim hands were folded into his pants pockets, and Ryuzaki absentmindedly shuffled one foot around the other.

"Yes?"

Juri blinked. There really wasn't anything in particular she wanted to say, actually.

So she did what she did best. Small talk.

"I didn't know you were in my chemistry class, Ryuzaki-san."

"I am."

Akamine squinted at him. He was being weird. Well..._weirder_. He wasn't staring at her so openly now. And hadn't he been just a bit more open this morning? Was it because this morning he was concerned about her? No...Ryuzaki didn't seem like the type to sugarcoat when it came to other people's business.

Maybe it was because he saw her and Light...?

_Preposterous. Why would he care about that?_

"Are you sure? I'm sure I would've remembered you."

This time, L peered at her and blinked, Juri blinked and peered back (not exactly in that order), then quickly shook her head. "No, no...I mean...oh, you know what I mean. I like talking to you, so I feel like I would've remembered you," she explained, not embarrassed in the slightest. Well, maybe the _slightest_, because when he was a little weird, and she was a little weird, and when he stared at her, it made her feel..._weird_.

Akamine was usually the honest type when it came to things like emoting, unlike Ryuzaki, who was honest in his thoughts. She was rarely embarrassed saying what she felt, because Juri was well-tuned with herself and knew what she wanted. All the other guys she talked too found her constant empathizing either irritating (when she criticized) or attractive (when she praised).

And unlike all the other guys, Ryuzaki was honest back.

That made her like him even more.

"...You know Light Yagami?" he changed the subject, opening the door and going out before her.

"Yeah...we've been friends for a long time," Juri said, pulling out her gloves as she followed L on an unspoken walk to the school gardens. "My mom's a cop- she works with Light's father. We've had dinner over a few times."

"It looked more like a couple than a friendship," Ryuzaki stated, bending over to examine a daffodil, weighed down by dew. "I don't think friends usually save other friends seats even though other friends ask to sit. And I don't think friends kiss one another. Though I really don't have many friends."

Akamine gave him a funny look, but subconsciously avoided his questioning gaze to blow on a string of swaying willow leaves dangling in the air. "It's nothing...you know..._serious_. It was actually kind of unexpected. I thought Light and that girl, Misa Amane? I thought they were something for a while. Amane-san seems a little...air-headed, but she's a sweet girl."

"...Because Light-kun likes _sweet _girls?"

Juri shrugged uncomfortably under his gaze. Now that he mentioned it, Yagami _was_ acting differently. In high school, he was always the one who accepted confessions, not make them. And this semester alone, he'd gone through Takada, Minori, Ito, and herself. Some people put it off as just a university transition, but people like Light didn't really change easily- they just took everything in stride.

Could it have something to do with his involvement in the Kira case? She wasn't supposed to know about that, but Juri'd concluded that he was somehow involved- it wasn't a big secret the director asked his son for advice sometimes.

"Who _doesn't _like sweet things?" she said instead.

"I like cake," L offered. She glanced up at his dark eyes. That was how he communicated, Juri decided. Some people used their body or words, but Ryuzaki used his eyes. There were so many languages to communicate, and Akamine was lucky to be able to learn them quickly.

"Well put," Juri smiled warmly at him. "I know a nice bakery a bit off campus, if you'd like to join me?"

L shrugged, but didn't look away from her, which meant _okay_.

Juri turned, mouth pressed down to conceal her laughter.

_Strange boy._

* * *

Akamine Juri wasn't known around the freshman class as a particularly _out-of-the-ordinary _girl. She wasn't in a sorority and didn't make fake IDs and get into trouble. That didn't mean she wasn't well-known though, just not for the wrong reasons.

Juri was part of the woman's a cappella group, could be seen taking long walks in the morning, participated in the charity and holiday runs around campus, and sometimes would be seen on the homeless projects for the church.

She was well-known and liked by most; she was Akamine, the girl who gave everyone a hand, the one who made friends and encouraged, who always had a spare smile to share. Not many knew about her brother's death, and that was fine with her, because Juri was content with being that-girl-who-made-everyone-else-happy.

And her reputation for being so nice was sometimes taken advantage of; it was hard for Juri to say no to the guys who asked her out, and that was Houshigawa's explanation for why her roommate and a guy like him were walking down the street together.

No offense for Sayuri to think so, but Juri was going out with a guy that looked like a hobo. And it wasn't a shame date, either- Juri had greeted her in passing instead of cover her face, as the man behind her stooped and glanced around. He was shifty-looking (the guy didn't even have _shoes_), but Akamine seemed happy enough.

Houshigawa frowned watching them disappear into a bakery down the street. Juri had better not do anything stupid...of course, Akamine was _generous_,not an idiot. So what was such a popular girl doing with that guy who looked stoned? Maybe it was a phase.

Sayuri rolled her eyes and turned back to her novel.

_Strange girl._

* * *

"Is there a reason you sit like that?" Juri asked.

Ryuzaki blinked, fork halfway into his mouth. "My reasoning skills decrease by 40% if I sit upright," he nodded, taking a bite.

"Where'd that number come from?" Akamine crinkled her nose. She scraped the icing off the cake and mixed it into one colorful mess.

"My brain," he explained sagely. Ryuzaki served himself another slice of the cake. "That accounts for amount of blood flow to my brain, gravity, average heart rate, and diet."

"That makes zero sense," Juri commented, coating her fork in frosting before sticking it in her mouth and drawing it out slowly. "At first, I thought you just pulled that number out of your head, but then you explained it all so detailed I can't help but think you're a genius."

Ryuzaki blinked, fork pausing again. "That _did _come from my head."

"So you're a genius."

"It depends on if you think I'm _smart _or _intuitive._"

Akamine tapped her fork to her lips thoughtfully. "I'd have to guess both."

A pause where L took another bite. "That's correct. I'm a genius."

She gave him an incredulous look. "How are you so smart?"

L moved his fork over the empty plate before meeting her sky blue eyes with his ink dark ones. Juri froze, utensil still hanging out of her mouth.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you," he said thoughtfully.

Once Juri got over his numerous quirks, Ryuzaki was still such a character. She liked to think of reasons behind his oddities. Like maybe he reasoned everything so thoroughly to find the truth. Or maybe he slouched because he was always looking for a silver lining in the dust. Or maybe he held things between two fingers because he thought everything was delicate.

Perhaps those weren't the real reasons, but Akamine still liked him for doing them anyway. She still liked _him_. He of such childlike wonder, but with an insightfulness and honesty that was refreshing.

But Ryuzaki still refrained from saying such silly, little things. Juri could read people better than most, but with Ryuzaki, she didn't try to read him- just listen to the way he communicated. And his language was through his eyes, which were presently staring lustfully at the small white box of leftovers.

Juri gently placed the ribbon-tied package in his fingers.

L stared at her, then their touching fingers, then back at her kind face, and took the box, which meant _thank you._

Akamine covered her smile with her napkin as he held the ribbons, transfixed, as if they were breakable.

_Strange boy._

* * *

**It picks up next chapter, I promise! Meanwhile, leave a review, a PM, or something to tell me what you think! **

**Enjoy a new story to start off a new year :) **

**2014 WOOWOOWOO**

**Credits to Sara Barielles' song "Many the Miles".**


	2. A Mutual Interrogation

**Greetings! As many of you may have noticed, I recently merged my former chapters one and two into one big chapter. I've always enjoyed reading long chapters better anyway, so I hope whenever you see my story in your alerts, you will be happy to know there's a lot of words coming! (that sounded better in my head...?)**

**As a warning, I must admit, this is not some of my best work. I hope you'll bear with me though, and I will try hard to fix what I can!**

**_Comments to Comments_ at the bottom.**

* * *

**Previously...**

**_L stared at her, then their touching fingers, then back at her kind face, and took the box, which meant thank you._**

**_Akamine covered her smile with her napkin as he held the ribbons, transfixed, as if they were breakable._**

**_Strange boy._**

* * *

_xxxxx_

_"This pair of wings worn and rusted f__rom too many years by my side_

_They can carry me swear to be, s__urdy and strong but see_

_Turning them on still means goodbye._

_And so here we go bluebird, g__ather your strength and rise up._

_Oh, let him go bluebird.__  
_

_Here we go."_

_xxxxx_

"Honestly, I don't like talking about it," Juri said uncomfortably.

Ryuzaki peered at her and managed to say around the cookie currently occupying his mouth, "Why not?"

"Well, you already know about my brother...And besides," she shrugged, taking a sip of the tea from the cafeteria. It was chilling in her fingers, but Juri savored the warm smell drifting up and the little curls of steam wrapping around her gloves. "I feel like I can't really have an opinion on something like...that."

"All I asked was what you thought about Kira," he repeated.

Over the past month, Juri'd gotten used to his constant need for eye-contact, but not his seemingly random yet deeply invigorating questions. Usually, she enjoyed their weekly meetings for lunch, but constantly had to remind herself that Ryuzaki's honesty was a _charisma_ Juri had been graced without and should _appreciate. _

But sometimes he was a bit too insensitive, and didn't hesitate delving into her usual no-cross zones: subjects like Senri, controversial issues, and mass murder.

What could she say? Juri didn't like taking sides: _everybody's girl _didn't take sides.

"You should be quiet," she said, glancing around at the empty place. Not many people walked here anyway; they were sitting on the bench where they had first met, with a plate of cookies that Akamine had provided in the middle.

And by middle, she meant next to Ryuzaki.

"I think you do have an opinion, you're just afraid to say it," Ryuzaki stated at the same volume. "Don't be scared. I'm just curious, because everything's spiraling down more than you can imagine. I don't like to say things like this, but the world's taking sides."

"So I have to take a _side_ now?" Juri asked sourly, but not unkindly. She leaned over and took a cookie. "Will you hate me if I disagree with you?"

"Of course not." And he didn't look like he was lying. "Of course, it'd be ideal you agree with me," he continued- to which Akamine scoffed- "but I'd never hate you. You've made my number of friends increase again."

"I like you too, Ryuzaki," Juri sighed, peering at the uneaten morsel in one hand, the cup of tea in the other. "Then, in that case...I have to say in all honesty, I'm not a supporter of Kira's...methods."

Instead of clasping her hand or scowling, he maintained that same bland expression.

"Why not?"

"I think murder is wrong, murdering murderers is worse, and anything past that is all just so sinful," Juri said in an out-of-character quiet. "Ideally, I believe in reformation before retribution and second chances before conclusions and mercy before justice. And I _know _we're not in an ideal world, but it's just what I think.

"I also think no one should decide what's wrong or right...only someone divine, because God's pretty wise, I hear, which makes sense, because he's lived with rotten humans for so long. Kira's far from God. God should be merciful. And I'm not..._super religious _or anything, like, I'm not trying to convert you right now...but I think we _do_ have someone watching out for us up there."

They both quietly peered up into the sky, wondering secretly what kind of person sat up there: just, merciful, or both?

"I'm an atheist," L finally said.

Juri gave him a funny look. "Okay. I'm not going to argue with you."

Ryuzaki shrugged and handed her the plate with a lone cookie on it. "That's fine. I'm a bad loser. Even if God himself gave me rules of right and wrong, I'd write my own."

She glanced at him sideways, and like he felt her eyes, met them. He was strange, for sure- strange, but strong in the way he kept himself so open to ideas.

Figuratively.

He still sat tucked into himself.

"I'd expect nothing less from you," Akamine nodded, taking the dessert and breaking it in two. "That's very humanistic thinking. But who are _you _to judge what's _right_..." she held up the piece in her left hand, "...and what's _wrong?_" Juri connected the one in her right, and they stared thoughtfully at the cookie that held a strangely creepy meaning into the insight of life.

"And then you can get into Daoism and stare forever at Yin-Yang..." Ryuzaki pointed out.

"Oh, just eat the cookie," she shook her head playfully, smooth ponytail bobbing over one shoulder. L let her jam his half lopsidedly into his mouth, and Juri stayed close to him as she chewed her own piece. She stared deep into his eyes, and for some reason, burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly, glanced at his face, then buried her face to hide. "I-it's just...are you _tired?_"

"I'm not sure," L blinked as she poked at the dark circles around his eyes. "I haven't gotten very good sleep for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"A few years," he said.

"That's a long time," Juri gazed, intrigued (and quite a bit disturbed) at how the dark bags didn't even _bulge out_ anymore- it was like they were just set into his skin permanently. "Are you sure this is healthy...And that you're not stoned?"

"Yes."

"About which one?"

"The second one; I'm sure."

"How sure?"

"99.99%."

"So...just _pretty_ sure, then. You really need to get some sleep," Juri told him, concern creeping into her voice. "I don't understand how you still function on what- five hours of sleep a night?"

"A week. Though I'm still a certified detective, so I'm sure that says something about either the correlation between sleep deprivation and intuition, or just me."

"Just you," Akamine agreed tenderly. Then she blinked. "Wait-_ detective_?"

His phone buzzed, and Ryuzaki fished it out of his pocket, flipped it open, and held it delicately between two fingers.

"L, here. Of course, Matsuda-san. Soon."

He hung up and got up, hands back in his pockets. "Well, today-"

"_L?_" Juri asked incredulously.

Ryuza- uh..._L_- shrugged noncommittally, like, _what about it?_

"..._L_," she continued slowly. "Like, the _Sacramento_ _BB murder case, L._"

"It was Los Angeles. But I'll see you next week."

"So...your name's _not _Ryuzaki."

L shuffled around to peer at her, and he didn't look stoned, just tired. "Is _your _name really Izumi Juria?"

"...I'll see you next week, then. _L_."

* * *

Ironically, for two honest people, their relationship wasn't particularly truthful.

True, L had a good reason to hide his name; one of the single-most impressive detectives of the world, who solved countless mysteries and specialized in finding missing people. And true, she hadn't given her name for security reasons: no one really knew who to trust these days. But Akamine still couldn't wrap her head around it. How could such a wide-eyed, innocent-seeming, quirky boy be _L_?

It didn't make sense to her- _her_, the girl who could read people like novels. Juri was a _forensics major_, for Pete's sake, and that coupled with her natural ease to empathize with others, she uncovered her rare ability to make confusing things make sense.

So, this made.

No sense.

Her hands pressed down harder on her temples. Was Ryuzaki just fooling with her? No...he didn't seem like someone who did that- then again, he didn't seem like someone who could be _L! _

"Are you _coming _to dinner or just going to stare at that blank sheet all night?" Sayuri asked Juri, a bit irritated, a bit frightened by her roommate's out-of-character silence.

These thoughts ceaselessly buzzed around her head...Akamine couldn't focus on her essay for linear algebra, let alone _think _about something trivial like dinner.

"It's that guy, isn't it?" Houshigawa asked suddenly. "Are you in love? My God, answer me, Akamine."

Juri gave up, throwing her hands up and tilting her head back on the chair to peer at Sayuri upside-down.

"You're silly," she said humorlessly. "Of course not."

"Then what has you so bugged?" Sayuri leaned against her bed frame. "You know, Light was wondering why you totally blew him off yesterday; I told him you had to study, lucky for you."

Juri rubbed her forehead. "Thanks." She threw down her pencil, got up, and stretched. "I've been trying to figure something out for a while now about Ryuzaki-san."

"Is he secretly a serial killer?"

Akamine gave her an incredulous look, like, _how'd you know?_ "Actually just the opposite. He catches serial killers. And other criminals."

"Hm." Houshigawa crossed her arms over her loose sweater, unimpressed. "Is he a forensics major like you?"

"Oh...well," Juri bided her time buttoning up her blue knit boots. "Trippy thing is, he's already graduated, I think."

"_What?_ That's _wack_!" her roommate exclaimed. "His age isn't the trippy thing- it's that you're _seeing _him!"

Akamine frowned, shrugging on her trench coat. "Maybe so. Not really, though. He doesn't seem so much older than me."

"Um, _yes_," Sayuri assured her, messy blonde hair curling out of her short braid as she leaned forward. "That's _pretty _wack. He's like, _at least _four years older than you! It's crazy- what would _Light_ say?"

"He'd say I'm free to do as I wish," Juri sniffed. She fished her black gloves out of her pocket and slipped them on. "Yagami-kun has absolutely zero interest in me. I can't talk to him like I can with Ryuzaki-san. I'm not even sure why Light asked me out in the first place."

"He probably thought he liked you," Sayuri shrugged, considerably calmer. "If you don't know, you're _kind of_ a likeable person."

Juri let her believe what she wanted. Some people thought she was kind, others just adored her good-looks. What Akamine believed was that compared to everyone else, she was glaringly average. Pretty, not particularly striking average looks. Hair in between auburn and mahogany, like it couldn't decide. Average grades and personality and talents.

Juri glanced up and raised an amused eyebrow. "You mean right now after that whole _wack _conversation?"

Houshigawa rolled her green eyes. "Where're you going anyway?"

Sayuri didn't have to be a forensics major to see Akamine purposefully avoiding her gaze.

"You're meeting up with him again, aren't you?"

"It's not a thing. I promise, Sayuri-chan. And if it bugs you so much, I'll ask how old he is tonight. Besides," Juri sighed. "It's not like I can go out with Light- he blew me off again."

"Maybe he's pissed off at you," Houshigawa offered half-heartedly, kicking off her shoes and collapsing in bed. "Maybe he's playing hard-to-get."

"Maybe," Juri shrugged. Light had told her this morning that he wouldn't be able to make it tonight, and his hand had automatically touched that same place in his jacket again. Sometimes when he sat the right way, Juri could make out the outline of a rectangle where a jacket would have an inside pocket. A secret book? Maybe he was looking at inappropriate magazines or something.

"See you later, Sayuri-chan," Akamine called. "Want me to get the lights?"

"There's only one Light you should worry about," Houshigawa responded.

"Goodbye."

No, she didn't have to worry about Yamagi, Juri decided as she closed the door. People like Light didn't change- they just took everything in stride.

* * *

It was barely drizzling when Juri hailed a cab to the café Ryuza-_ L_- had suggested. By the time she exited, it was pouring. She paid the driver, turned up her collar, and made for the lit sign bleeding the watery words _Aiko's Deli and Bakery_.

_Fifteen seconds in the rain and sopping wet_, Akamine coughed, the door jingling as she pushed it open with her shoulder. The place was warm, thankfully. A number of small tables were pushed near the windows, and a glass case with pastries and salads inside shone brightly. There were maybe a dozen people, quietly chattering like the rain.

The hostess came up- a thirty-something lady with wispy blonde hair knotted into a loose bun and smoothing over her red apron. "May I help you?" she asked politely.

"No thank you, I'm just meeting a friend," Akamine brushed back her long, oaky hair, hoping she didn't look like a wet cat.

The lady smiled knowingly. "Of course, a pretty, young lady like yourself would be waiting for a nice boy."

"Oh, there he is!"

L lifted his hand from where he crouched near the window.

"Oh my," the hostess murmured, but Juri didn't hear, because she had already marched over and engaged L in one of the good-natured but still slightly painful headlocks she'd delivered sometimes to Senri.

"...And thanks for letting _me _buy you all that food, Mr. Famous Genius Detective-san," Akamine finished, before releasing him and collapsing into the seat. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

She peered diligently at the menu.

"..."

L hadn't expected things to go down like a soap opera, but he hadn't thought she'd be so...so...

..._okay _with it either.

"Anyway, I assume you've been here before. Ooh, this looks good. Wines? Have you tried wine before? Have you been here before? It's quite quaint. The carpets are very soft...but maybe that's my soggy boots. Hm...We should come here more often- I haven't eaten anything, but it smells really good in here. I wonder if we can get something in those little paper take-out boxes. I love a good paper take-out box-"

"...Are you okay?"

She peered at him strangely, like he should know her what she was thinking. "I'm _babbling_, L. People like me don't babble unless they're stressed. And I think by that, you can deduce that I'm _stressed out_, Mr. _L_."

Ryuzaki decided this was one of those rare times it was favorable to feign ignorance.

"...Is it...exams?"

"No, I just realized one of my friends held back a very large part of themselves."

"...I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

"Something tells me you're bad with feelings," Juri said dryly but in good humor. It already hard for Juri to stay angry at someone, especially if they didn't feed the flame by defending themselves. And then even more so when it was L, who met everything with a placid stare.

He shrugged.

_Exactly. Point proven._

They talked about comfortable nothing until the waiter came. Akamine ordered herself a bowl of soup, and L got what he always had: dessert. This time, it was two slices of cheesecake, and Juri knew better than to assume one of them was for her.

Looking at his untied shoes (he'd worn _shoes _today in honor of the rain), it struck her as uneasy how little she _really _knew about him. All she knew about him was what she'd searched up on the internet and watched on TV (it was _curiosity_, not creeping). The whole world was under the impression that L was a middle-aged genius who chose to keep his identity a secret. Heck, there were _fanbases _and _fanfictions _written about L. What kind of people even _did _that?

Ryuzaki was halfway through the first cheesecake when she dropped her spoon and fired a question before he could even think. "L, how old are you?"

"Twenty-two," he didn't hesitate to answer, cutting the soft cake neatly and folding it onto his fork.

_That's reassuring._

"Where were you born?"

"...Moscow."

"Hobbies?"

"...Figuring out difficult cases."

"Favorite color?"

"...Dark blue..."

"Catchphrases?"

"Is Izumi-chan interrogating me?"

Juri picked up her spoon and swirled bits of carrots and broth around. "...Yes. You're a curious person, and I want to know you better. Plus, after you lied to me, I feel like you owe me a bit of intell."

"Then it's only my fair I get to say too," L said. "What are you majoring in?"

"Forensic sciences. I want to be a psychological profiler."

"Why?"

"Because I can understand people pretty well." She paused. "And I've always wanted to make a difference, but I could never be a politician," Juri laughed.

L peered at her curiously.

"It's just so much..." she struggled to find a better word, but sighed. "..._politics_."

_Obviously. _

"Izumi-chan-"

"-it's actually Akamine."

"Akamine-san-"

"-chan is fine."

"Akamine-chan's reasoning is rather close to mine," he said in that flat voice of his. "My job as a detective has brought me to change the lives of many people by finding criminals. Sometimes I have to think about what the suspects are thinking of doing to do that."

"That's fascinating."

"..."

"It really is!" Juri rested her forearms and leaned in. "We've always been lectured on data and numbers and facts associated with specific instances. Like, statistically, 90% of abducted victims are children. And if the child is a toddler or infant, the abductor is almost always a woman. So, we'd send a report to find a woman, probably single, in her late thirties to early fifties. But then, we would have to infer using our own emotions and insights to conclude that this woman probably either lost a young child or never had one, and have our analysts find such a woman on the databases."

"Strange," he murmured, starting on his second piece. "I do something similar."

Juri nodded, but bit her lip. Something had been bugging her for a while now.

"You keep saying 'I'. I thought you'd have a team or...something."

"Yes, that is correct."

She took to stirring her soup again and drummed her fingers against the table.

From what Akamine found (from her night of diligent internet studying), L usually worked alone. So his team was most likely formed in Japan to study some important mystery, because L didn't accept many cases unless they interested him. The only viable explanation was that Ryuzaki was here to investigate Kira- it also explained why, on that first day, he'd been so adamant on hearing her opinion about him.

So what was her part in this plan? Genius detectives didn't really have the time to have lunch (well, in his case, dessert) with a student in a little bakery/deli.

"What do you want with me?" Juri asked, a tad bit unkindly. "You're obviously very busy with the..." she dropped her voice. "_Kira _case. And I'd assume your 'team' wouldn't be too fond of you leaving the investigation to meet with a little forensics major? So tell me: what do they _think _you're doing right now?"

L's overall face didn't seem innately surprised, but he widened his eyes a bit.

"Meeting you."

"What does that accomplish?"

She _needed _to know. Juri wasn't and had never been..._expecting_ anything from him, or something like that. These meetings had been fun- she had never thought of them as dates- but had he been lying about wanting to meet her for fun? Did he have some ulterior motive? Subconsciously, Akamine was putting her hopes on a string, just waiting for him to cut it. When would he cut it?

"Light Yagami," L said.

Ah. There it was.

_Snip._

"What about Light?" Suddenly, it all made sense: his questioning her that first day, Yagami-sama's asking for his son's advice, why Light was 'studying' so much over the weekends and in his spare time.

"He and his father- they _both _are in your team." She leaned in, eyes wide. "I heard the police stopped investigating the Kira case, and I thought it strange someone as headstrong as Yagami-sama would quit so easily...But he _did _quit- only it was the police force. Am I right so far?"

"...Yes, you are correct."

"And you don't trust Light, which means you suspect him to be someone who may be on the opposing side. You're not afraid of the police because you're working this case privately, and you're not afraid of the public, because they don't know who you are. So...the only person who truly opposes you is..."

"...Kira," he finished.

"Who you think- oh, _Light_..."

The rain pounded down on the windows outside. The sky was already almost dark, and the light of taxi cabs flashed and disappeared around the corner. And, just as appropriately, there was a rumble of thunder.

"...So what can I do?" she asked L, her kind face he'd grown to expect a smile from suddenly grim.

Ryuzaki thought for a moment.

"You need to kill Light Yagami."

At that, Juri paled.

She had hoped capturing Kira wouldn't necessarily mean killing him. And what's more, she hoped killing Kira wouldn't involve her.

_Stop saying Kira, _Akamine reminded herself. Ryuzaki's stare on her was deafening in its volume. So instead of giving him an answer, she crossed her arms again.

"Show me evidence."

Juri could've been mistaken, but L's mouth might've lifted into the ghost of a smile.

"That's the plan," he blinked, unfolding his legs and standing up.

Juri followed, fingers tapping restlessly on her leg like she always did when thinking. "That was a test. You wanted to know you could trust me, so you tested me."

"..." Her clear blue eyes were less soft now, he realized, and more strong. They were the defiant eyes he saw on everyone else on the team...

...except for Light Yagami.

That was a small reason behind why L still distrusted Light. His eyes were impatient and malicious. They voiced things no eyes should say and no heart should desire.

"Yes," L agreed. "That is correct. It was a test."

"Then do you trust me now?" she asked.

That defiance lined every pixel of her sky blue eyes, and L did; he trusted her.

"I'm almost positive," he lied.

"Well, _be _positive," Akamine responded forcefully, putting a loose fist on his chest to make sure he was listening. L blinked at her- Juri ignored him. Her mahogany hair poured like hot tea down her shoulders. "Let me help you," she said, unclenching her hand and placing it flat over his heart.

"I want to find the person who killed my brother."

* * *

**What is this alluding to? What are the circumstances around Juri's brother's death? Why do I ask all these questions that I know the answer to?!**

**Credits to Sara Barielles' song "Bluebird". I like to post the lyrics of songs that inspire me, and they'll vary the next few chapters :)**

**Please review? As an author and reader, I know I love to read reviews :) And especially if you didn't like my story, I'd be open to hear why (just...no cussing, okay? All you potty-mouths. Yeah, you.)**

_**Comments to Comments**_

**AnonimaKim: **Thank you for being patient with me...I'm still getting all my crap together. And Italian is a beautiful language (like German. German is absolutely beautiful to listen too...and that's not sarcasm!) I'm happy I have a loyal reader; it means a lot to me as a writer :)

**WolfKeeper101: **Thanks! Haha, yeah, the inspiration for this story started as something like: "Oh hoho...L's social skills are kinda bad." I'm a sucker for a romance fanfic, and I didn't want a girl who changed him, but someone who accepted him :) I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Anarchipluvian Tears: **Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Misstorygirl: **Yeah, she's one of my favorite singers :) You're too sweet! And I really didn't want to pair up L with his 'female counterpart' (genius girl with large appetite for sweets), because I feel like people already did that well. Next chapter has LxJuri, I promise. And thanks for being such a loyal reader :D You're input means a lot to me!

**Guest(s): **Thanks for taking the time to review :) It means a lot to me when you guys read (an actually _enjoy_) my writing.


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